Skunks don't hibernate, they den up and go dormant and sleep most of the winter, but I think they do come out and eat sometimes. They and the feral cats and any local foxes or other wanderers will appreciate the food, Connie.

My gray cat was friends with a local skunk before he made the move indoors. I'd see them walking side by side.

I figured this time of year was a good time to provide food. I may keep up this habit when the food on hand runs out. And put out a big bowl of water when it gets warm.

they den up and go dormant and sleep most of the winter, but I think they do come out and eat sometimes.

This seems like an ideal way to spend the winter.

hey den up and go dormant and sleep most of the winter, but I think they do come out and eat sometimes.

I would support this lifestyle choice. If I could choose it.

I have finished all of this years pajamas (5 pairs for Noah, 3 for Grace,

FIVE pairs?? Good lord, that's a lot of pajamas!

Today feels like it's been a very long day, even though I think I've only been awake about 12 hours.

The kid I picked up, harsh as his reality us, makes me wishy parents would treat my older brother the same. You fucked up? You're on your own. We love you, come visit for the holiday, but we're not providing money or rides to where you need to go, you need to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps in order to get right. Because right now, my older brother has a comfy bed, a ride to work, and everyone pretending things ate normal and giving him positive reinforcement, and he's still drinking to stupidity and now diabetes. Maybe if he had to take ownership of his life GED have a chance if actually getting better.

The kid I picked up, harsh as his reality us, makes me wishy parents would treat my older brother the same. You fucked up? You're on your own. We love you, come visit for the holiday, but we're not providing money or rides to where you need to go, you need to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps in order to get right. Because right now, my older brother has a comfy bed, a ride to work, and everyone pretending things ate normal and giving him positive reinforcement, and he's still drinking to stupidity and now diabetes. Maybe if he had to take ownership of his life GED have a chance if actually getting better.

I would support this lifestyle choice. If I could choose it.

Right? Skunks have a lot going for them. Not great at crossing roads, but every lifestyle is going to have drawbacks.

ETA: OTOH, I do have to wake up in the morning and go to work, but I also smell very nice right now. Apple Betty Soap + Chocolate Scrub = I smell yummy

I, too, would like to choose this skunk lifestyle choice.

Skunks are living right, man.

You guys, we deserve ALL THE GOLD STARS. See the top mail tray in this picture: [link] See how the only things in it are a tiny stack of this month's bills (and that thing in the back is Tim's ex-wife's G.E.D., which we need to return to her, which is why it's standing on end)?

Until today, it was STACKED up to the middle of the light switch on the wall (we don't use that switch, fortunately). And not just stacked, but stacked 2 deep. (See how this month's bills are turned horizontal, so there is room to put more envelopes behind them, also horizontal, thus having 2 stacks of envelopes? Yeah, we had that, close to 2 feet worth. How many years of mail, you ask? FIVE FRIGGING YEARS. (Bills are always -- and have always been -- paid on time, but other stuff just piled up. AND, I feel I should note, that double-stacked pile did NOT have credit card applications or other overtly junk mail.)

This is what ADD looks like in our house. And my role in it is that I didn't want to turn into the nagging wife, or slide into a parental role, or do things for him that he can/ought to do himself. So I left it alone, beyond occasionally mentioning that the damn mail pile was going to avalanche and kill the villagers. (And truthfully, I actually didn't realize it was 5 years' worth of mail. If I had, I would have busted out the nagging wife routine.)

We took the dog to a new groomer today and had to provide proof of his rabies shot. Well, we couldn't find the certificate from the vet. This prompted a furious scramble through the mail stack (which did not turn up the rabies certificate), followed by a rueful "I'm sorry I let this get so bad."

An apology is not what I wanted; what I wanted was for it to be dealt with. So after we dropped the dog off at the groomer (we found an acceptable proof of vaccination), we came back and started hacking through 5 years of mail. Open envelope, briefly scan over the contents, look at date, then file/recycle/shred. I helped, and we got through it in about 3 1/2 hours.

And now we can see the bottom of the tray, which only has this month's bills. GIVE US ALL THE GOLD STARS.

(Except there's also a box on the table -- a box that reams of paper come in -- that's ALSO full of papers. No, seriously. This man needs to go paperless SO HARD. But we're going to go through the box next weekend, come hell or high water.)

And you can damn bet I'm going to police the mail much more carefully as it comes in the door, instead of just tossing it in the mail tray.

I have a basket full of paper I need to go through. I'm off all week, so that will be one of my goals.

The other goal is to get a better grasp of my financial obligations. If I want to move when my lease comes due, I need to start socking away some moving money. I also need to rebuild my savings cushion. Responsible adult crap.

Separately, we got Cards Against Humanity for Christmas and CJ, K-Bug, and I have been playing almost nightly since. You KNOW you have reached a certain level of relationship with your kids when you can play this and not hesitate too much over what cards you play/they are welling to play.